As a young man, I experienced the struggle that is common to many young couples in our times: I yearned to obtain a mortgage to be able to purchase an apartment, but once I did get it, and bought the apartment, I waited for the day that the mortgage payments would disappear out of my life.
I was a young man, a father of four small children, and aside for my mortgage payment, I had many expenses that were always growing. Reality hit us full force: In order to live, one needs money, lots of it...I was among the first residents of a developing chareidi project that was in the initial stages of population. I learned in a kollel whose stipend was meager, and my wife did not work.
I was constantly under pressure to come up with ideas to generate a regular income that could fit in with a kollel schedule, and that would ease the onslaught of mounting expenses. Various ides rose in my mind, but I quickly discovered that they were not practical for one reason or another...
One day, as I was returning from kollel in the afternoon, I passed by the offices of the company that was building and developing the project we lived in. Suddenly, I had an idea: The company needed clients! I told myself. There were many apartments still under construction, waiting to be sold, and they would surely be happy for me to help them market the apartments.
I immediately went into the spacious office. The marketing director welcomed me warmly. I excitedly shared my thoughts, and he listened attentively. When I finished speaking, he stood up, handed me a file filled with marketing materials, and said: “You are welcome to try to attract buyers and to send them to the office. For every buyer that you send that signs a contract, we will pay you agent’s fees.” When he finished speaking, he shook my hand and wished me well.
I almost danced my way home. I was sure I’d be successful. I was already planning how to reach out to people, where I could place brochures and hang posters. My dream was about to come true – generating a dignified income without affecting my learning sedarim!
At home, I sat down, took out a marker, and began to mark up the advertisements I had gotten with my phone number as a contact person. My wife pitched in to help, and we began to plan what we would do with the money I’d earn, and who to give the ma’aser to...That evening, we figured out an exact plan on how we would handle material comfort that was heading towards us at high speed...
Already the next day, I called a friend who had consulted with me in the past about buying an apartment. “How did you know when to call?” he asked. “I’m just about to purchase an apartment in the project you recommended.”
“That’s an excellent decision,” I complimented him. And I asked him not to forget to note that he’d come through me. The surprising success was dizzying, and phone calls began to stream in. For many weeks, I used all my free time to locate and persuade potential buyers. I also shared the information with my family and asked them to pitch these apartments to friends and to refer them to me. People came to view my home, using it as a model apartment, and they enthused at the size and the new and developing area.
One deal followed another, and I kept it all documented in a special notebook. I continued tirelessly making phone calls and giving out brochures. Every so often, I considered going to ask for the payment that was coming to me, but I decided that I preferred to get a large sum all at once. Finally, after ten apartments were purchased through me, and more interested people had reached out, I went into the company’s office.
This time, the manager welcomed me with an inscrutable expression. I gave him the list of buyers I had referred to the office, and excitedly noted that I was in contact with others who were interested. He looked at me and at the paper that I had put in front of him, thanked me for my efforts, and promised to pay me the agent’s fees for every apartment that I could prove was purchased through me.
“What does that mean?” I gasped. “All the buyers on this list were referred by me, and as a result they signed a contract!”
“Who says?” the marketing manager pretended to be innocent. “Maybe they found out about the project due to the aggressive marketing campaign we’ve been running?” I gaped at him in shock. I could not believe what I was hearing.
A moment later, I recovered, rose quickly from my chair and left the office without saying a word. I’d be back with proof, I told myself.
That day, I was again busy with phone calls. I tracked down the buyers. Some were very sympathetic to me, but they didn’t have the courage to come and state that they had purchased through me, for fear they would not get the discount promised to them. Three buyers agreed to come with me to the company offices, but the marketing director was confrontational with them and did not accept what they said. He claimed that they had reached out to the office before they had spoken to me, and therefore, he could not attribute those sales to me.
I was able to get the money for only one apartment – of cousins who were about to sign the contract and declared that I was the agent. They said that they would sign on condition that I received my share beforehand. Only after the marketing director signed the check and gave it to me were they ready to sign the contract. I used the money to buy a good bed for my children, who had been sleeping until then on mattresses on the floor. And with pain in my heart, I had to bury the rest of my dreams.
A few days passed. I was sitting at the table in my dining room, in the same spot where I had made the calculations of my future profits, and tried to think what I could learn from this most frustrating experience. I remembered how sure I was that in the merit of the acquaintance I had with so many people, because of the many virtues of the project, and the quality and size of the apartment, I’d merit success. I was so happy with every deal that was closed, and I forgot one thing – to ask for a brachah for success from the One Who holds the key to parnassah in His Hands. To thank Him for every success and to know that it is all from Him.
Since that incident, I have internalized that success depends not on power nor on skill. We make the necessary hishtadlus that is incumbent on us, and the result depends only on the Will of Hashem.
Hashgachah Pratis Adar I 5784
Only Hashem’s Brachah Can Bring Wealth
